I'm buying a new hay farm, good idea?

[TexasBred]

I know quite a few that buy it by the ton as well.

When you do, all of a sudden those 1600 lb. rolls only weigh 1200. :nod:

 

[bigbull338]

when you adjust the baler an make loose bales they wont weigh heavy like that should as TB says.i always make sure they make a bale so tight you cant get your fingers in it.

 

[upfrombottom]

TB i hate to burst your bubble,but i dont know a custom baler that runs a big round baler.they all have 4by 5 or 4 by 6 balers.because they know if a meadow will make 100 5 by 6 1600 lb bales,that itll make 135 4 by 6 bales,an 160 4 by 5 bales.an thats $2500 for the big bales $3375 for 4 by 6 bales an $4000 for 4 by 5 bales.now i based it on $25 a bale for cutting raking an baling straight accross the board.

BB no damage to "my bubble"...I don't doubt what you say at all..You just confirmed what I was saying....small bales....more money for the custom baler IF he's charging by the bale. A guy that cuts and sells his own hay will also make more money with the small bales. But I'm a buyer...I prefer the large bales but buy by the ton.

Most everybody I know that custom bale, use a 4 X 5 baler because that is the best size to use to load a truck with the most it can legally haul without getting a over-sized load permit. It also is the most sought after size by the customers, not every one has a 90 hp tractor to move hay with.

 

[TexasBred]

As I said, I buy the large bales. No permits required...the more bales you put out the more your loss from waste.......it's a little bit of a "stretch" to unload them off the big rig sometimes with a smaller tractor but no problem putting them in the barn or feeding them..65 hp.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I will weigh in here
around here most custom guys bale 4x5s including me
the reason
1st most won't pay anymore for a4x6 or 5x5 bale than they will for a 4x5

also if I am hauling 5ft wide bales I have to run wide load signs and heck I don't think some of our roads are 10ft wide :lol:

I sell by the bale and by the ton depends on how the customer wants to buy it it usually works out to the same price alot of folks just want a bale or 2 at a time loaded in the back of their pickup and a 4x5 bale sits better and is easier for most to handle

I have seen 5x5 bales weigh less than 4x5s if the 4x5s are baled corrrectly and if buying by the ton it doesn't matter if it is a 4x4 or a 6x6 bale you are getting what you pay for
I can tell you within 50lbs what my bales weigh because I do weigh several throughout the yr

as for baling price around here there is a difference for baling 4x5s or 5x6s or 6x6s and most around here will go with the chreaper price pr bale which isn't always cheaper even on bales of the same dimension because there can be several 100 lbs difference from one guys bales to another guys bales

just my opinion on it as a custom baler
a good bale of hay is a good bale of hay NO MATTER what size it is

 

[bigbull338]

well i can tell you last years baling prices for both 4 by 6 an 5 by 6 bales.1.i know a guy with a 4 by 6 that charges $23 to $25 a bale.2.i know 2 guys that have 5by 6 balers an they charge $20 a bale.now with diesel going up the prices may go up.

 

[TexasBred]

From the producers view I agree with you Angus but frm my end I still want the larger bale. Maybe I'm lazy but with them I don't have to fill empty feeders quite as often which cuts down on waste, I can unload a truck quicker, stack quicker and as I said put it out less often. Guess everyone has their preferences both the custom baler and the end user. I honestly don't know what the requirements are down here for "wide loads" but I never see any hay haulers using them.

 

[john250]

OK, 5*6 is the most efficient if you are feeding a lot of cows and have the tractor/loader to handle them.
I'm on a 4*5 for my situation.
Every tractor I own will handle a 1000 lb bale. Only the largest will handle a 2000 lb bale.
If I should have any to sell, buyers here like 4' bales for the transport width.
It makes me feel good because I get more bales/acre.
When I'm a hay buyer, I like to check reported hay auction prices, and those are reported in tons. You can't know whether you got a deal unless you convert your price to a per ton base.

 

[Angus Cowman]

From the producers view I agree with you Angus but frm my end I still want the larger bale. Maybe I'm lazy but with them I don't have to fill empty feeders quite as often which cuts down on waste, I can unload a truck quicker, stack quicker and as I said put it out less often. Guess everyone has their preferences both the custom baler and the end user. I honestly don't know what the requirements are down here for "wide loads" but I never see any hay haulers using them.

If I wasn't selling hay or doing custom work I would prefer the 5x6 or 6x6 bales myself if I was just feeding it
as you said it takes less trips feeding and is more economical but I can't afford the loss or having 2 balers for the custom work

 

[jedstivers]

AC, I know you have some roads that aren't 10 foot wide.

 

[dun]

AC, I know you have some roads that aren't 10 foot wide.

That's why mail boxes are usually 5 foot off to the side of the road

 

[Angus Cowman]

AC, I know you have some roads that aren't 10 foot wide.

That's why mail boxes are usually 5 foot off to the side of the road

Not in our county heck they make us put our mail boxes on the well traveled roads which I guess mine isn't considered well traveled or maybe it isn't even considered a road

 

[dun]

AC, I know you have some roads that aren't 10 foot wide.

That's why mail boxes are usually 5 foot off to the side of the road

Not in our county heck they make us put our mail boxes on the well traveled roads which I guess mine isn't considered well traveled or maybe it isn't even considered a road

You must live closer to the big city. Around her at least half of the mail routes are on 1 1/2 lane dirt/gravel roads

 

[Angus Cowman]

Not in our county heck they make us put our mail boxes on the well traveled roads which I guess mine isn't considered well traveled or maybe it isn't even considered a road

You must live closer to the big city. Around her at least half of the mail routes are on 1 1/2 lane dirt/gravel roads

Nope nowhere near the bigcity
and me referring to me a well traveled road is one that has more than 2 trucks a day go up it that aren't mine :lol: :lol:

 

[jedstivers]

That's why mail boxes are usually 5 foot off to the side of the road[/quote]
Not in our county heck they make us put our mail boxes on the well traveled roads which I guess mine isn't considered well traveled or maybe it isn't even considered a road[/quote]
You must live closer to the big city. Around her at least half of the mail routes are on 1 1/2 lane dirt/gravel roads[/quote]
The one AC lives on could be called 1 an 1/2 lanes, it's one lane in places an 1/2 in places an no dirt or gravel. It's solid ledge rock. First time he was here he was saying how nice our gravel roads are and we have some of the worst in the area. Then I went to his house an he was right.

 

[TexasBred]

AC, I know you have some roads that aren't 10 foot wide.

That's why mail boxes are usually 5 foot off to the side of the road

Not in our county heck they make us put our mail boxes on the well traveled roads which I guess mine isn't considered well traveled or maybe it isn't even considered a road

A well traveled road around here is one that doesn't have johnson grass growing in the middle waist high.

 

[Caustic Burno]

TB after Rita couple of FEMA workers showed up at the house to see if we needed any help.
They stated they had came in on the trail, I asked what trail. They then pointed to the county road at the bottom of the hill, I fell out. I told them thats not a trail that's the county road that the mail carrier and school bus run.

 

[dun]

TB after Rita couple of FEMA workers showed up at the house to see if we needed any help.
They stated they had came in on the trail, I asked what trail. They then pointed to the county road at the bottom of the hill, I fell out. I told them thats not a trail that's the county road that the mail carrier and school bus run.

City folks, what can you expect. Some friends of ours came out from cal years ago and they about crapped themselves since there aren;t any gaurdrails like they are used to. They did mention though that most of our gravel roads are better then a lot of their paved ones.

 

[TexasBred]

TB after Rita couple of FEMA workers showed up at the house to see if we needed any help.
They stated they had came in on the trail, I asked what trail. They then pointed to the county road at the bottom of the hill, I fell out. I told them thats not a trail that's the county road that the mail carrier and school bus run.

Dang right....I hope you helped them find their way back "up the trail" or maybe they ran into a game warden or county mountie before the sunk completely out of sight.